National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan arrived in Kazan city, the Republic of Tatarstan, on December 8 afternoon, starting her official visit to Russia at the invitation of at Chairwoman of the Federation Council V. Matviyenko and Chairman of the State Duma of Russia V. Volodin.

National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan touches down at Kazan airport. 

Those among welcoming guests at Kazan airport included Chairman of the State Council of Tatarstan Farid Khayrullovich Mukhametshin, Deputy Chairperson of the State Council of Tatarstan Tatyana Larionova, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Ngo Duc Manh and Vietnamese community representatives in Tatarstan.

Vietnam and Russia established diplomatic ties in 1950. Both nations set up the strategic partnership in 2001 which was upgraded to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012.

 Vietnamese embassy staff alongside Vietnamese community representatives
in Tatarstan welcome the top Vietnamese legislator at the airport. 

The official visit to Russia by NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan affirms Vietnam's consistent policy of considering Russia a top priority partner in its foreign policy, and wishing to strengthen traditional friendship, and comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries with a particular focus on economic - trade, defence - security cooperation, and oil- gas- energy cooperation.

NA Chairman Ngan savours bread and salt, and desserts- traditional cakes of Russia. 

During the visit, the top Vietnamese legislator will preside over the first meeting of the inter-parliamentary cooperation committee between the State Duma of Russia and the Vietnam National Assembly, a new cooperation mechanism established between the Vietnamese legislative body and a foreign parliament.

The first meeting is seen as a forum for the two sides to exchange information, share experience, and propose initiatives and directions for parliamentary cooperation in the time ahead.

While in Russia, the Vietnamese NA leader is set to hold talks and meet with senior Russia's senior leaders, Vietnamese embassy staff and Vietnamese community representatives there.